Ordinary Life
by Arcanine
Summary: Omi's been having a reoccurring dream, one that is making him question everything he knows. When is a dream just that? Can that dream become reality? And what if that innocent dream should become a nightmare? Horrible summary... R&R, please?
1. Dream

Author's Note:  Yo!  It's me, Arc, with the first decent fic I've ever written!  Sure, I've had ideas.  Sure, I've started things.  But this is the one, the only fic I've worked on with actual _effort_.  I've revised, printed, asked people for feedback.  I've _edited!  It's my baby.  ^^;;  I didn't just start from a random idea.  This plot was developed!  (__gasp_?_)  It might seem a little confusing at first, but that's the point.  You should be able to figure something out by chapter two, which will be posted directly after this one.  No wait time.  Lucky you._

Sorry if it seems a bit OOC at first.  My 'beta readers'—feel special, I'm mentioning you!—didn't really think so, but I'm paranoid about my writing…  It _will_ get better, I promise!

_{Insert Witty Disclaimer Here}_

                      ♪_…Just to live one day out there…_ ♪

                The words were in a different language.  English, most likely.  Sung.  Not in a beautiful voice, but enough to add emotion to the song.

                He couldn't see the face, but he knew someone was crying.  Though apart from the figure, the other's emotions were as clear as his own.  A feeling of silliness, followed by the thought that crying was for babies.  But all the same, how he wanted it…  **/****/Wanted what?//  More sobs were choked back, shaking the body.  The body that was simultaneously his and the other's, the body that refused to stop.**

                Omi bolted upright in his bed.  The sheets clung to his body, damp with sweat, some of which was racing down the young boy's forehead.  

                Damn reoccurring dream.  Vaguely, he remembered similar ones from his youth.  Memories from that time were fuzzy, so the dreams had been even less clear.  It was like trying to look at his reflection in a pool of mud.  The dreams unnerved him for some reason.  He didn't know why they did, only that there was something familiar.  What disturbed him the most was that in the past three days; he had not yet caught a glimpse of the face.

                His breathing returned to normal.  The blue eyes closed as he sighed.  Perhaps he was thinking too much.   A new mission was scheduled for tomorrow night—tonight, judging from a quick glance at his clock.  The red digital numbers glared at him, crimson light that dared him to go back to sleep.  Yes.  Maybe it was just stress that forced repeated images through his brain.  Stress…

                Another sigh escaped the young assassin's mouth as he sank back against the bed, head resting softly on the slightly wet pillow.  **//That dream is driving me crazy…  I should just forget about it until after the mission…//******

                Morning.  Great.  A huge yawn stretched across Omi's entire face, threatening to swallow him up.  He rubbed his eyes sleepily.  That dream had kept him awake longer than he thought.  

                No.  He had decided not to think about it, and he wasn't.

                Was he?

                It haunted him, gnawing at his mind like a dog with its favorite bone.  He knew it was just a dream, but he had to find out who that boy was, why he was crying, and what purpose that eerily familiar song had in all of this.  If he didn't it was sure to drive him crazy.  Why, why, why?!  

                Omi went about his usual routine as if in a trance, not really stopping to think about anything he was doing.  It finally hit him that he needed to pay more attention when he nearly washed his body with shampoo.

                "Are you OK?" asked Ken later as they opened up the flower shop.

                "Hm?  Me?  I'm fine, really!" Omi protested, his cheerful façade slipping into place.

                It was obvious that, while his words said one thing, his eyes were singing to a whole different tune.  None of the others thought too much of it, however.  Each had their own demons to contend with and Omi's just happened to be rearing their ugly heads that particular day.  He was perfectly capable of dealing with them; they knew not to interfere too much in each other's personal business.

                Conversation was nonexistent for some time, increasing as the day continued.  Customers came in, customers came out; it was routine as usual.  For some time, Omi managed to drown out his thoughts in the common hum of everyday life.  Yet at every corner, something else would make him think about that dream.  Maybe he should sit the mission out…  **/****/No, then I'd just have time to sit here and think about it even more.//**

                "…hmph!"

                Omi blinked a few times, finally noticing a customer at the register a moment too late.  Sapphires followed the girl's back as she walked out and then wandered down to the counter where her ex-purchase was laying.

                "Hey.  I'll take over for a bit if you want." Yoji told the younger boy.  

                It was just his way of showing concern, and Omi was grateful for it.  "Thanks, Yoji-kun."

                Yoji winked.  "Now you owe me one."

                Omi didn't have to try as hard to force a smile at the joke.  Typical Yoji…

                Balinese immediately became more serious.  He lowered his voice so just the two of them could hear.  "You'll be OK by tonight, right?  Don't need you zoning out like that if we run into any trouble."

                Omi nodded.  

                "Good."

                It was time.  Like the maintaining of the store, the missions had become routine.  Normal.  Each member of Weib had their own way of dealing with it, and soon they were ready to leave.  Knowing they relied heavily on him to formulate the plan of action, Omi sincerely hoped that he hadn't been too distracted by that bizarre dream.  Any flaws in the plan…

                On the way to their destination, Omi's mouth opened and closed a few times, silence dominating the urge to start some kind of conversation.  Lately, silence only made his situation worse.  He could hear his heart beating in his ears and tried to push the sound away, to no avail.  Aya noticed the boy's discomfort and decided finally to interfere and save him the suffering.

                "We're almost there, right?" Abyssinian asked, his voice as cold and sharp as the katana he carried with him. 

                "U—uh, yeah." Ken affirmed, shocked at the sudden breaking of the quiet.

Omi forced the dream from his mind, trying to clear it of anything but the goal.  Act first, think later.  He still had trouble doing this, but it was life.

End Note:  So…  What did you think of it?  Hopefully you're interested enough to review and/or go on to chapter two?  ::crosses fingers::  Chapter two is Omi's POV, and the later chapters will probably switch off between him and the **mystery character** who will be playing a very important role in the rest of the story.  Who will the mystery character be?  That will be my little secret…but it's not an original character, so don't worry.  ^__~


	2. Recall

Author's Note:  If you're reading this, the first chapter must have kept you interested.  I want to thank you in advance for reading this because I'm excited to find out what other people think of it.  This chapter is where you might actually be able to figure something out about the plot.  *monotonous cheering, Monty Python style*  It's a lot shorter than the first, which wasn't really long to begin with…  But the rest of the chapters will be longer if it all goes as planned and I don't chicken out on another story.  Hehe.  

Disclaimer:  I don't own the song whose lyrics are in the fic.  Don't own Omi, either.  This isn't my day, is it?

…Another warning for possible OOC-ness from the paranoid author…

Chapter Two: Recall

Even assassins have to go to school.  I hate that, you know.  Going to school a few days after a mission.  Having to fit in with the crowd and act like nothing is wrong.  When you know what you're responsible for, it's not always easy.  Most of the time I can pass it off as having a nightmare or not getting much sleep—and that would be telling the truth.  Some of my life is a living nightmare.

                I think I'm losing my mind completely.  This is worse than the flashbacks that I used to get—that I still get sometimes—from when I was younger.  The dream became more vivid.  A few times, I swear I could almost distinguish that boy's face.  The song seems to be going on longer now, too.  

                "Mister Tsukiyono!  I asked you a question.  Are you going to answer?"

                That would be the teacher hovering by my desk, I noticed, trying to redirect my thoughts to the current situation.  

                "Aa… I'm sorry…  What was the question?"

                The teacher sighed.  "Nevermind that."

                She turned to face the rest of the class.  "All of your grades have been improving quite a bit, so I've arranged for a small break from classwork.  A movie."

                There was an audible silence.  We weren't sure whether to cheer or groan.  A movie it may be, but knowing the teacher, it might be something educational and boring.  Oh well.  If it was boring, then I'd have even more time to replay events in my head and wallow in my confusion.  

                "As you know, this is English class.  So the movie we will be watching will be in English.  I don't expect you all to understand the movie perfectly, so there will be subtitles.  I'm not that cruel,"  The teacher paused to pick up the case and show the class.  "My children are fans of Disney movies, which are quite a few steps up from all of the anime you watch.  Much better to watch in school.  I expect you to pay attention because at some points I will be turning the subtitles off and expecting you to translate some of the easier parts."

                Now came the groans.  American stuff, and a children's movie at that.  Even worse, we'd have to do work while watching it.  I joined in, rolling my eyes.  Yet there was something in the back of my mind that cautioned me not to write off the movie altogether.  I knew I'd never seen the movie—The Hunchback of Notre Dame—but all the same it sounded familiar.

                Easier said than done, paying attention to the movie.  At every turn, another thought seemed to prevent me from watching.  Not to say I wasn't glad.  The talking gargoyles were a little amusing, but other than that….  

                Another musical number began.  That's one thing these American cartoons sure didn't lack.  But the melody seemed familiar.  The voice—it, too, rang a bell (pardon the pun).  Involuntarily, I gasped.  I'm sure the look on my face caused a few of my classmates to stare, but I was beyond caring.  It was the song from the dream--it had to be!  There was no way that it wasn't!  If I had never seen…no, never heard of the movie before today…how was it that I knew that song?  

                This had been what I needed to hear.  I strained my ears to hear it, my eyes to watch the subtitles that flashed across the screen. 

            _All my life I watch them as I hide up here alone_

_      Hungry for the histories they show me_

_      All my life I memorize their faces_

_      Knowing them as they will never know me_

_      All my life I wonder how it feels to pass a day_

_      Not above them_

_      But part of them_

_      And out there_

_      Living in the sun_

_      Give me one day out there_

_      All I ask is one_

_      To hold forever_

_      Out there_

_      Where they all live unaware_

_      What I'd give_

_      What I'd dare_

_      Just to live one day out there_

                Another wave of déjà vu hit me, so intense that I could almost feel it trying to knock me over.

_If I was in their skin_

_      I'd treasure ev'ry instant_

                 A chill ran down my spine as the song was winding down.

_Just one day and then_

_      I swear I'll be content_

_      With my share_

_      Won't resent_

_      Won't despair_

_      I'll have spent_

_      One day_

_      Out there…_

                After school, rather than start homework—even forgetting about the computer—I flopped down onto my bed.  There had to be a reason for all of this!  I needed to find an explanation, and soon. 

                "Omi?  Are you alive in there?" 

                "Wha—?"  I nearly jumped up, head twisting in all directions, searching for the source of the voice.  Finally I realized that it was just Ken, standing by the doorway.  Immediately, I felt a bit embarrassed.  "Oh, yeah.  Sorry to worry you."

                Once he had gone, I wiped the smile off my face with a sigh.  I've become so used to hiding behind it that I don't have to think twice before it shows itself on my face.  Sometimes it feels wrong to act like that around them.  We've gone through so much, yet I still feel like I have to hide.  Hide what exactly, I'm not sure—

—I couldn't see!  A brilliant flash of light, then that unknown face danced across my eyes.  As it slowly tilted upwards, the bangs that had held it in shadow receded.  Those mysterious eyes were becoming clear.  They were dazzling blue as the sea—so much like my own that it was almost scary.  It was impossible.  The boy could never be me.  It was no memory; he was easily my age, possibly a year younger.  A sad grin lingered on the mirroring face, shared by the stranger and myself.

"What do you mean that you're OK, Omi?!" demanded Ken, the nervousness seeping into his voice.  He made no effort to hide it, either.

I looked around.  The worried faces of Ken and Yoji were hovering above me; even Aya's stony face seemed to soften.  Yet as soon as I saw them, I looked back down.  I couldn't meet their gazes, couldn't bring myself to look into their eyes.  It was embarrassing to have blacked out, and I was reluctant to explain the reason, should they ask.  That dream, I felt, was meant for me alone.

I opened my mouth, but another voice cut through the air and interrupted what was never spoken.

"Am I interrupting something?"

                "Manx!" Yoji exclaimed, switching instantly from the concerned friend to the annoying, flirtatious one.  

                Manx ignored him.  "Sorry for the short notice, but you have a new mission."

                "Omi…" Ken began.

                "I'm fine.  I'll go." I said, lying with that smile again.  I knew it was coming.  There was nothing they could do to stop me from going.  I was not going to let that dream destroy my life, as it seemed so intent to do.  

                "You are _not_ fine.  You've been acting weird the past few days." Ken protested.

                I didn't listen to him and followed them all as Manx led us down the stairs.  She grabbed the remote from where it lay and clicked on the TV.  The familiar silhouette of Persia appeared.  Lost in thought, I was shocked back to reality when Yoji began to push me out of the room, holding his hands over my ears.  

                "_Don't argue." Yoji said, an apologetic tone creeping into his voice afterwards.  "We need to make sure you're OK before you risk your butt on any more missions.  This one is tomorrow night." _

End Note:  My parents are Disney freaks.  I've been practically raised on Disney stuff.  I've been to Disney more times than I can remember.  To tell ya the truth, though, I hated _The Hunchback_ movie.  But that song always stuck out in my head.  I got bored one day and starting thinking about how often characters got killed off in some shows.  Thus the line was born:  "Every moment the author left me alive/Out there/Where they're randomly killed off~~~"  Somehow that random idea never really went away and I found some way to use the song in a fic.  I'm starting chapter three as soon as possible, and I hope you all stick around to read it.  You _do_ want to find out about Omi, ne?  


End file.
